The present invention relates generally to a wall panel for an elevator car having a decorative surface visible to passengers.
In office buildings, it is important to keep the appearance of the interior of an elevator car in good condition and, as well, to have the elevators in operation at all times. Elevators represent a large portion of the cost of modem buildings, and their usage particularly in automatic elevator operation is substantially continuous. Damage may occur to the wall panels and on occasion they must be repaired. To take an elevator out of use for a period of time while the panels are being removed laboriously and taken to a factory or a repair establishment and refinished is expensive, but primarily it interferes with operation of the business being conducted.
Current elevator systems use hung panels as a means to enhance the architectural look of the interior of the elevator car and make replacement easier. Hung panels are attached to the fixed car walls using xe2x80x9cbuttonsxe2x80x9d that fit into keyhole shaped slots cut out of the walls. This method of fastening is not visible to the public and allows a maintenance worker to remove an existing panel and replace it with a new panel is a relatively short time.
The present invention concerns replaceable panels for elevator cars, which panels may be taken out as desired to replace or repair. Such replacement or repair does not require the elevator car to be inoperative for long periods of time.
This invention relates to an elevator car having replaceable panels that can be modernized on occasion and are a fully serviceable unit within the elevator car.
A wall panel assembly for use as an interior wall of an elevator car includes: a wall panel having a front surface and being embossed to form a central portion; a decorative panel having an ornamental front surface and an opposed rear surface; and an adhesive material applied between the wall panel front surface and the decorative panel rear surface to adhere the decorative panel to the wall panel. When the wall panel is installed in an elevator car, the decorative panel ornamental front surface is visible to passengers. The decorative panel can be formed of a flexible laminate material.
An embossed pattern can be generated on the wall panel and a laminated decorative panel applied directly to the wall panel. This new wall panel assembly can be used in lieu of the traditional hung panel arrangement providing a particular architectural look with new manufacturing equipment and technology.
The embossing of the walls is achieved through an automated forming procedure when the car walls are processed. The laminate is attached to the wall panel using a permanent adhesive with the outer edges of the laminate bounded by the embossed surface. The shape and size of the embossed portion and laminate can be expanded beyond the typical rectangular shapes of hung panels to other geometric shapes including logos.
The embossing adds to the structural rigidity of the wall panels, adding overall stiffness to the elevator car structure. It is an object of the present invention to apply a decorative panel directly to the elevator car wall panel without the use of hardware.
It is another object of the present invention to hide the edges of a decorative panel applied to an elevator car wall panel.
It is further object of the present invention to stiffen elevator car walls.
It also is an object of the present invention to provide decorative shapes and curved surfaces on elevator car walls.